Brisbane southside job hotspots: Mt Gravatt, Murarrie, Acacia Ridge
Businesses on Brisbane’s southside say they are struggling to find employees to fill entry-level roles, despite new analysis showing there are 1.7 job seekers to every job in Brisbane. SEE WHERE THE JOBS ARE
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A metal fabrication and laser cutting firm on Brisbane’s southside says it is having “big issues” finding entry-level employees to fill its positions, saying the spike in no-shows to interviews has coincided with the raised JobSeeker level.
It comes as new analysis by Quest Community News in conjunction with the Courier Mail reveals there are at least 7490 job vacancies in Brisbane, according to data from job aggregator Adzuna.
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According to the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office, as at June there were 12,800 unemployed people in the Brisbane statistical area, meaning there are about 1.7 unemployed people to every available job in Brisbane, but you wouldn’t know it from talking to Unique Metals Laser’s Coopers Plains branch.
National general manager Michael Taylor says there are “five or six vacancies” at Coopers Plains, including factory hands, sheet metal workers, machinery workers and estimators, but he is struggling to fill them.
“One of the big issues we have are finding candidates, especially entry level workers,” he said.
“When people are on JobSeeker, why would they want to work?”
Mr Taylor said there has been a “spike” in no-shows to interviews and, particularly, medical appointments where drug and alcohol are screened for as part of the onboarding process, which he says is costing the company money.
Mr Taylor said the company is even prepared to offer training such as a forklift driving course to the right candidate to help get them over the line.
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The talent deficit comes at a time when Unique Metals Laser is looking to expand its operations in response to surging demand within Queensland, as consumers look closer to home in response to border closures, and the flow of raw materials, especially from China, as supply chains resume following the pandemic’s suppression in that country.
Another company struggling to fill positions is Creative Cuisine Australia, based at Salisbury.
They are currently on the hunt for three food production workers in order to help fulfil a new contract with a major retailer starting next month.
Owner Rodger Graf said he posted a batch of vacancies in April, at the height of the pandemic, and received 3000 CVs in four weeks.
This time around? He received 13 CVs in four weeks, a drop of 99.56 per cent.
Like Mr Taylor, he laid the blame squarely at the feet of the JobSeeker program, but he also said he felt great sympathy for the younger generation and the uncertain future they face.
“They’re struggling to see over the horizon,” Mr Graf said.
However, not all companies are struggling to fill spots.
A spokeswoman for Bunnings Warehouse said they have just completed a massive intake of workers at their Acacia Ridge, Rocklea, Mt Gravatt and Mt Gravatt – Logan Rd stores; however, this meant they were not hiring in these areas for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, Amazon Australia is still recruiting positions, including area managers, loss prevention managers, HR managers and WHS co-ordinators for its massive new fulfilment centre at Lytton which is scheduled to open by Christmas.
Amazon did not respond to a request for comment by the publication deadline.
In something as vast and numbers-based as a job market, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that all these numbers represent people with dreams and potential.
Coopers Plains teenager Laura McLure is three weeks in to her new role as a trainee at an early learning centre.
She said she lost her job at Red Rooster last year due to the outlet shutting down and struggled finding other work as the fast food restaurant was her only experience.
“After a while, you lose a lot of confidence and start wondering, ‘Is it me?’” Ms McLure said.
However, after a year of disappointment, she joined Life Church’s Job Club, a free service for 15 – 24 year olds.
“It really helped to prep me and polish my resume,” she said.
Suddenly, disappointment turns to hope, and Ms McLure has a new career to immerse herself in.
Jobs south of the river by suburb*
- Acacia Ridge: 41
- Admin Jobs: 1
- Hospitality & Catering Jobs: 2
- IT Jobs: 1
- Logistics & Warehouse Jobs: 4
- Manufacturing Jobs: 5
- Other/General Jobs: 2
- PR, Advertising & Marketing Jobs: 3
- Sales Jobs: 2
- Trade & Construction Jobs: 14
- Unknown7
- Annerley: 9
- Archerfield: 8
- Belmont: 1
- Calamvale: 15
- Camp Hill: 15
- Cannon Hill: 15
- Capalaba: 46
- Admin Jobs: 2
- Domestic help & Cleaning Jobs: 2
- Engineering Jobs: 1
- HR & Recruitment Jobs: 1
- Healthcare & Nursing Jobs: 4
- Hospitality & Catering Jobs: 3
- Manufacturing Jobs: 2
- Other/General Jobs: 2
- Retail Jobs: 10
- Sales Jobs: 5
- Social work Jobs: 3
- Teaching Jobs: 3
- Trade & Construction Jobs: 7
- Unknown: 1
- Domestic help & Cleaning Jobs: 2
- Carina: 20
- Carindale: 29
- Coopers Plains: 30
- Customer Services Jobs: 1
- HR & Recruitment Jobs: 2
- Healthcare & Nursing Jobs: 2
- Hospitality & Catering Jobs: 1
- IT Jobs: 1
- Logistics & Warehouse Jobs: 4
- Manufacturing Jobs: 5
- Other/General Jobs: 1
- Sales Jobs: 5
- Teaching Jobs: 2
- Trade & Construction Jobs: 6
- Coorparoo: 16
- Eight Mile Plains: 26
- Fairfield: 8
- Forest Lake: 15
- Greenslopes: 7
- Heathwood: 8
- Hemmant: 25
- Holland Park: 4
- Holland Park West: 3
- Kuraby: 1
- Lota: 5
- Lytton: 21
- Macgregor: 4
- Manly: 4
- Manly West: 4
- Mansfield: 23
- Moorooka: 2
- Morningside: 28
- Mount Gravatt: 48
- Domestic help & Cleaning Jobs: 1
- Healthcare & Nursing Jobs: 1
- Hospitality & Catering Jobs: 2
- Retail Jobs: 8
- Sales Jobs: 2
- Trade & Construction Jobs: 4
- Unknown: 30
- Mount Gravatt East: 9
- Murarrie: 61
- Admin Jobs: 2
- IT Jobs: 1
- Logistics & Warehouse Jobs: 3
- Manufacturing Jobs: 6
- Other/General Jobs: 3
- Property Jobs: 1
- Sales Jobs: 3
- Teaching Jobs: 13
- Trade & Construction Jobs: 14
- Unknown: 15
- Pallara: 21
- Parkinson: 12
- Rochedale: 10
- Rochedale South: 10
- Rocklea: 26
- Runcorn: 1
- Salisbury: 22
- Seven Hills: 13
- South Brisbane: 179
- Accounting & Finance Jobs: 26
- Admin Jobs: 7
- Customer Services Jobs: 2
- Domestic help & Cleaning Jobs: 1
- Engineering Jobs: 6
- HR & Recruitment Jobs: 1
- Healthcare & Nursing Jobs: 15
- Hospitality & Catering Jobs: 2
- IT Jobs: 5
- Legal Jobs: 4
- Logistics & Warehouse Jobs: 13
- Manufacturing Jobs: 15
- Other/General Jobs: 11
- PR, Advertising & Marketing Jobs: 1
- Property Jobs: 3
- Retail Jobs: 20
- Sales Jobs: 5
- Teaching Jobs: 2
- Trade & Construction Jobs: 23
- Unknown: 17
- Stretton: 1
- Sunnybank: 20
- Sunnybank Hills: 3
- Tarragindi: 2
- Tennyson: 1
- Upper Mount Gravatt: 16
- Willawong: 6
- Wishart: 2
- Wynnum: 20
- Wynnum West: 12
- Yeronga: 11
- Yeerongpilly: 3
Jobs in Brisbane by industry*
- Accounting & finance: 353
- Admin jobs: 134
- Charity & volunteering: 8
- Consultancy jobs: 41
- Creative & design: 33
- Customer service: 66
- Domestic help & cleaning jobs: 139
- Energy, oil & gas jobs: 29
- Engineering: 296
- Graduate jobs: 40
- Healthcare & nursing: 987
- Hospitality & catering: 426
- HR & recruitment: 75
- IT: 384
- Legal: 151
- Logistics & warehousing: 345
- Maintenance: 23
- Manufacturing: 169
- Other / generic: 334
- PR, advertising & marketing: 63
- Property: 113
- Retail: 333
- Sales: 304
- Scientific & QA: 11
- Social work: 37
- Teaching: 379
- Trade & construction: 670
- Travel: 4
- Unknown: 1543
= 7490 jobs in Brisbane
* Statistics taken from job aggregator Adzuna.